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Copywriting tip no. 94

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

A copywriter once said this to me. It was about the way account managers were changing copy internally, without running it by the creative department first. Someone had even gone so far as to play with the punctuation. They were junior and it was a forgivable offence. But the line has stayed with me ever since.

Because people will rewrite your copy. They won’t sneakily move a logo or change a colourway, but they will alter your copy. And it’s possible it won’t be for the best. But copywriting is subjective. Damn it.

So how much pushing back can you do, and what happens if your account team aren’t prepared to get on side? I don’t have the answers. But as long as you flag your intentions and your concerns when it’s appropriate, then it won’t come back to bite you on the bum. A supportive account team is crucial for your happiness though. I know that much.

A good way to tackle this age-old copy problem is to get in front of your client at every opportunity. If a client sees a living, breathing copywriter, they are faced with someone whose job is solely that – to write good copy. Sometimes I think clients put us up there with pink unicorns and the like. But if they can see a face to go with that name, it might make them think twice about altering work for the sake of it.